Apr 30, 2008

When I’m in the grocery store check-out line I usually scan the magazines that are strategically placed there to grab your attention, but I never buy them because more often than not they consist of salacious tabloid gossip. But the cover of the April 28, issue of Jet magazine caught my eye. Raven-Symoné was posed on the cover looking grown-up and beautiful. I decided to buy it so I could read the featured article on her entitled “Voluptuously Fabulous.” Let me tell you, I was so impressed. In addition to being talented, grounded, and a wonderful role model to young girls, this sister is secure with who she is and loves her body. On the subject of body image and the need to be thin in the entertainment industry, she says, “It’s not a concern of mine. It’s a concern in society in general. When I look in the mirror and see how voluptuously fabulous I am, I can’t even worry about it. I am just fabulous.”

I thought, WOW!! It took me thirty–plus years to realize what this 22-year old phenom has already embraced. And to be perfectly honest, there are still days when I struggle with my body image. I’m a work in progress, learning to appreciate my thick thighs and big behind. But being healthy is what’s most important to me now. In this age of mid-drift bearing, booty-shaking, breast implant having, show-what-you-got, in-your-face, body obsessed culture, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. And for black women, the images that are flashed across magazines and television screens often don’t reflect our beauty.

So sisters, tell me how you feel about your body and what issues you’re struggling with, if any?